Permutations

Overview

Permutations is a card game for three or four players. It is designed for players who are at least eight years old and can be played in approximately thirty minutes.

Components

Permutations is played with a deck of forty-eight cards. There are twelve cards in each of four colours: red, yellow, green, and blue. Each card displays a unique number between one and forty-eight.

Set Up

1. For a three-player game, set one colour aside. You will not use these cards.
   
2. Shuffle the cards.
3. Deal eleven cards to each player.
4. Place the remaining cards face up on the table.
5. Prepare a notepad that you can use to track players' scores throughout the game.

Playing the Game

The game takes place over a series of rounds. Each round is comprised of a series of eleven auctions. During each auction, each player will draft one card. At the end of each round, you will score points based on the cards that you drafted during that round.

You will also use the cards that you draft during each round as your hand for the next round.

The game ends when any player has scored a total of one hundred points or more. You win if you have the highest score at the end of the game.

Auctions

During an auction, each player will draft one card from a pool of available cards. For the first auction, the pool is comprised of four random cards. Subsequently, the pool is comprised of the players' bids from the previous auction.

To conduct an auction, secretly choose one card from your hand to be your bid. The value of your bid is the number displayed on your card. After everyone has chosen, you should reveal your bids. In decreasing order of bid values, each player should draft one card from the pool. Place the card that you draft face down in front of you.

Scoring

Your score for each round depends on the cards that you drafted during that round. To determine your score, first count how many cards you drafted of each colour. Your score depends only on the largest of these counts, your max. The following table describes your score for each possible max.

Max	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
Score	6	10	15	21	28	36	45	55	66

These are triangular numbers. If your max for a given round is m, then your score is m(m+1)/2.

Additional Rounds

Record the total points each player has scored on a notepad. If no one has scored a total of one hundred points or more, you should play another round. You will use the cards that you drafted in the previous round as your hand for the next round.